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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — a lid
  3. drill — army training
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lean — thin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com